NORTH WEALD BASSETT

North Weald Bassett lies in the extreme north-west
corner of Ongar hundred, the parish being divided
almost equally between this hundred and that of
Harlow. (fn. 1) It is 3 miles north-east of Epping and 19
miles from London. The name Weald (forest land)
is no longer appropriate, for very little woodland now
survives, and much of the parish is open and bare. The
main road from London to Newmarket and Norwich
runs through the west and that from Epping to Chelmsford through the south of the parish. The Epping-
Ongar railway runs through the southern tip of North
Weald. A large R.A.F. station and wireless masts
are prominent features of the landscape and there has
recently been much domestic building. But some parts
of North Weald are still rural. At Woodside in the
south-west a leafy lane runs past Wintry Wood and in
the north of the parish there is a view across to the
woods of Harlow Park.

In 1873-4 the total area of the parish was 3,433
acres of which 1,739 acres were in Ongar hundred.
The part in Harlow hundred was made up of the tithing
of Thornwood in the west (901 acres) and that of
Hastingwood in the north (793 acres). A detached
portion of the parish consisting of 11 acres to the northeast of the main body and near Weald Lodge was
situated locally in Magdalen Laver parish. (fn. 2) This was
transferred to Magdalen Laver in 1883. (fn. 3) In 1946 the
part of North Weald to the north of Weald Bridge,
including Weald Bridge Farm, Weald Lodge, and
Bowlers Green was also transferred to Magdalen
Laver. (fn. 4) In 1949 the parish was considerably enlarged
by the addition of parts of Netteswell and Latton
parishes in the north-west, part of Harlow in the northeast, part of Theydon Garnon in the south, and part of
Epping Upland (including Wintry Wood) in the
south-west. (fn. 5) The present area of the civil parish is
4,032 acres. (fn. 6)

The highest parts of the parish are in the south and
west, rising to 300 ft. and affording good views. From
there the land slopes gently down to Cripsey Brook,
which rises in the west, flows north-east through the
centre of the parish, and forms part of the northeastern boundary. Shonks Brook, which joins Cripsey
Brook, forms part of the northern boundary.

Population is mainly concentrated along the EppingChelmsford road and to the north of it. There are also
villages at Thornwood and Hastingwood.

In 1086 North Weald was one of the most thickly
wooded places in Essex. Peter de Valognes' manor
was said to contain woodland sufficient for 1,500
swine, a figure larger in proportion to the parish area
than those even for Waltham Holy Cross, Loughton,
and the Theydons. (fn. 7) The 'wood of Henry of Essex'
in North Weald was mentioned in 1248. (fn. 8) In 1260
Philip Basset, Henry's successor as lord of the manor,
complained that many robberies were being done in
this wood near the road between Ongar and Waltham,
and he secured the king's permission to assart 6 acres
of the wood. (fn. 9) Other assarts were taking place in the
13th century, particularly in connexion with some of
the estates which later became manors. (fn. 10) The park
belonging to the principal manor was still in existence
in 1540. (fn. 11) It gave its name to Park Corner in the southwest of the parish. Late medieval conveyances do not
mention any other large areas of woodland except in
the Paris Hall area, where about 60 acres were reported
as late as 1520. (fn. 12) Norden's Map of Essex, 1594, does
not show North Weald as a densely wooded parish.
In 1777 there was apparently no woodland there apart
from Weald Hall Coppice. (fn. 13) This is specially interesting in view of the survival of large woods in neighbouring parishes. Weald Hall Coppice still (1954) survives,
and there is also a small wood at Canes.

The ancient manor houses were Weald Hall, near
the centre of the parish, Canes 1 mile farther north,
Marshalls near Woodside, and Paris Hall at Hastingwood. All four were on moated sites and there were
also moats at Newhouse Farm in Vicarage Lane and
at Schoolgreen Farm. Paris Hall, on the original site,
was rebuilt about 1600. Marshalls was rebuilt on a
new site in the 17th century. Canes, Weald Hall, and
New House were rebuilt in the 19th century. (fn. 14) In
addition to the four manor houses there were probably
substantial medieval dwellings at Tylers Green,
Bowlers Green, Bridge Farm (near Weald Bridge),
and possibly one or two other places. (fn. 15) The parish
church, which dates from the 14th century, is ½ mile
east of Weald Hall.

In 1777 there was a concentration of houses around
four commons: at Weald Gullet, Tylers Green,
Thornwood, and Hastingwood. There, as well as on
the older sites, a number of houses survive from the
18th century and earlier. Apart from the church the
oldest existing building in the parish is probably
Tylers. This is a timber-framed and plastered house
consisting of a central block with a gabled cross-wing
at each end. It may date from the 16th century but
there is some evidence that the central block was an
earlier open hall with a screens passage at its south-west
end. A large curved and chamfered brace, which
appears to have been part of a main roof truss, was
recently removed from the first floor of this block.
Bluemans Farm, which formerly stood immediately
north-east of Tylers, may have been a 16th-century
building, but it has recently been demolished. It was
timber-framed with oversailing gable-ends at the back
and front. (fn. 16) From the 17th century several houses survive. Hastingwood Farm, known locally as Rainbow
Farm, was demolished in 1954. It was a timberframed building of which parts dated from the 17th
century or earlier. Two small crosswings projected on
the south side and there was a central chimney with
four diagonal shafts. Little Weald Hall, formerly New
Hall, near the church, is a timber-framed building
probably of the 17th century, also having a chimney
with diagonal shafts. The 'King's Head' at Weald
Gullet is a timber-framed building probably of the same
period. It was restored about 1927. (fn. 17) Wheelers, on the
north side of the Chelmsford road near the post-office,
was mentioned as an estate by Morant. (fn. 18) The house is
an irregular timber-framed structure dating from the
17th century or earlier. East of Wheelers is Brickwall
House, formerly a farm. (fn. 19) It dates from the late 17th
century and has a hipped, tiled roof and a central
chimney with joined diagonal shafts. Of the smaller
buildings the former school house by the church is
probably the original 17th-century house, (fn. 20) and there
is another 17th-century cottage to the east of the vicarage: this has external chimneys at the gable-ends. Two
ancient timber-framed cottages which formerly stood
on the north side of the main road near the end of
Church Lane were destroyed in a German air raid in
1941. (fn. 21)

Schoolgreen Farm, at the north end of School Green
Lane, is timber-framed and plastered and dates from
the 17th or early 18th century. Opposite this, part of
a homestead moat survives. Esgors, formerly Isgoe, (fn. 22)
at Thornwood, is a square red-brick house dating from
about 1750. It formerly had a frontage on the common but is now set back about 100 yards from the
main road. Weald Place, at Duck Lane, is a good redbrick house of about the same period. A number of
other buildings in Duck Lane and Woodside date from
the 18th and early 19th centuries. It is probable that
the development in this area resulted from the improvement in the main road north and south after the formation of the Epping Turnpike Trust in 1768.

In 1801 North Weald, with 620 inhabitants, was
one of the more densely populated parishes of the
hundred. (fn. 23) In the 19th century the population followed
the trend normal in rural Essex until about 1861:
there was an increase to 886 in 1831 and a subsequent
slight decrease. But between 1861 and 1901, when the
agricultural depression was depopulating most villages,
the population of North Weald rose from 842 to 1,135.
This was clearly due to the coming of the railway in
1865. Building development in the 19th century was
also encouraged by the inclosure of the commons,
which took place shortly before the opening of the
railway, and it was at Thornwood and Hastingwood
that most of the development took place in that period.
Several of the larger houses in the parish, including
Newhouse Farm, were rebuilt in the 19th century.
Hastingwood House, which was built about 1840,
was a completely new residence. It is a large gault
brick house standing in extensive grounds. New places
of worship in the 19th century were the Congregational
chapel in Weald Bridge Road, built about 1830 but
closed about 1874, the chapel of ease at Hastingwood
(1864), the iron mission church at Thornwood (1888),
and the Wesleyan churches at Thornwood (1883) and
Weald Gullet (1888). (fn. 24) The original school was
relinquished in favour of a larger building and the new
school was extended in about 1842 and again in 1871. (fn. 25)

The population rose very little during the first 20
years of the present century, and was only 1,239 in
1921. (fn. 26) There was an increase to 1,642 in 1931 and
then a burst of building lasting until the Second World
War. Between the World Wars development was
greatest along the Chelmsford road. On the part of it
to the west of Church Lane all the buildings are
connected with the R.A.F. Station. Between here
and Tylers Green building is almost continuous, much
of it dating from the 1930's. A few council houses
were built before 1939: 8 pairs in School Green, to
the north of the Chelmsford road, 5 pairs opposite the
post-office, and 9 pairs on the road to Epping Upland.
The Post Office Radio Station (formerly owned by
Cable and Wireless Ltd.) was established at Weald
Gullet in 1921. (fn. 27) During the Second World War a
few buildings were destroyed by German bombing.
Two of these have been mentioned above; a third was
the Woolpack Inn, which stood opposite them. (fn. 28)

Since 1945 three large housing estates have been
built: at Queen's Road and Bluemans by the rural
district council, and at School Green by the R.A.F.
In 1953 the estimated population of North Weald was
3,200-an increase of almost 100 per cent. on 1931. (fn. 29)
It should rise still further, on the completion of the
School Green estate. The provision of public buildings has not kept pace with that of houses. The iron
mission church at Thornwood was replaced in 1923
by a brick church and in 1931 the Wesleyan church at
Weald Gullet was rebuilt. In 1939, however, the
Wesleyan church at Thornwood was closed owing to
lack of support. (fn. 30) A village hall was built in 1928, on
the south side of the Chelmsford road near Church
Lane. (fn. 31)

Until the 17th century the Epping-Chelmsford road
was probably the most important in the parish. (fn. 32) In
1786 a petition was presented to the Epping Highway
Trust by the people of North Weald asking that the
road should be taken over by the trust, in the first place
as far as Ongar. (fn. 33) An Act of Parliament for this purpose was passed in the following year. (fn. 34) A toll-gate was
erected at the junction of the main road and Woodside.
The gate-keeper lived at first in a rented cottage but a
toll-house was built about 1818. (fn. 35) This still survives:
a single-story building of brick, now plastered, with a
tiled roof.

The other main road became important early in the
17th century as part of the new route to Newmarket. (fn. 36)
This was one of the roads taken over by the Epping
Highway Trust at its formation in 1768. (fn. 37) There was
a toll-gate at Thornwood Common. (fn. 38) Since the
coming of motor traffic this road has become one of the
busiest in Essex.

The minor roads of the parish probably changed
little between the Middle Ages and the 19th century.
The main change in recent times has been the closing
of the eastern section of Weald Hall Lane owing to the
building of the airfield. Another lane which has disappeared formerly ran south of the Chelmsford road
from Weald Gullet to Skips Corner. This existed in
1777 and 1838 but had disappeared by 1873-4. (fn. 39)
The parish boundary follows this line.

Weald Bridge has always been the most important
in the parish. Between 1556 and 1652 it was frequently
presented at Quarter Sessions as in need of repair, and
responsibility for it was doubtful. (fn. 40) In 1615 and 1652
the parish was said to be responsible. (fn. 41) In 1653 the
inhabitants protested that they had been wrongly
indicted for not repairing the bridge: they had spent
£4 15s. on it; but they asserted that it was a county
charge and asked for the repayment of their expenses. (fn. 42)
The justices thereupon ordered that several hundreds
should be taxed for the repair of this and other bridges. (fn. 43)
Weald Bridge appears in the lists of county bridges
from about 1800. (fn. 44) In 1858 the county surveyor
described it in detail. (fn. 45) It appears not to have been
altered since that date. Cracks Bridge, at Weald
Gullet, was taken over by the county in 1881, when
the surveyor reported that it must be rebuilt. This was
done within the next year. (fn. 46)

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries North
Weald was fortunate in its communications with the
outside world, since it possessed two turnpike roads,
and was near to Epping. In 1865 coach travel in this
area was superseded by the opening of the railway
through Epping to Ongar, with a station at North
Weald. This brought London within easy reach. This
line was electrified as far as Epping in 1949. (fn. 47) Beyond
Ongar public transport was poor until the introduction
of motor buses. There are now (1954) frequent bus
services to Epping, Ongar, Brentwood, and Chelmsford.

North Weald was late in getting its own post-office,
probably because it was served directly from Epping.
In 1883 a day mail was established at North Weald
and a sorting-office sanctioned. (fn. 48) A telegraph office
was set up in 1886. (fn. 49) The telephone service was
introduced in 1920. (fn. 50)

Piped water was supplied to North Weald by the
Herts. and Essex Waterworks Co. before 1886. (fn. 51)
Main drainage was introduced at Thornwood and
Weald Gullet in 1911-12. (fn. 52) Electricity was first
supplied in 1931 and gas about 1932. (fn. 53) The village
hall, opened in 1928, has already been mentioned.
There are football clubs at Thornwood and North
Weald. A branch of the county library was opened in
1932. (fn. 54) There has been a police station in the parish
since about 1886. (fn. 55)

For much of their history the larger estates in North
Weald have had absentee landlords. This applies
specially to the two largest estates, Weald Hall and
Canes (see below, Manors). In 1841 Weald Hall had
an area of 800 acres and Canes of almost 300 acres. (fn. 56)
Each was let to a single farmer. This is interesting in
the case of Weald Hall for very few farms in the
hundred were as large as 500 acres. There were then
no other estates in North Weald of more than 200
acres, but even the small farms outside the main estates
in the parish were mostly rented by tenant farmers. In
all there were some 16 farms in the parish in 1841, of
which about half were over 100 acres. Not more than
four were owned by their occupiers. At that time there
were approximately equal amounts of arable and
pasture-about 1,340 acres in each case-and more
than 300 acres of uninclosed common.

The inclosure of the commons at Hastingwood,
Thornwood, Weald Gullet, and Tylers Green was
carried out by Act of Parliament passed in 1857. (fn. 57)
The inclosure award was made in 1861. The inclosed
area amounted to 280 acres.

Until recent years North Weald has been mainly an
agricultural parish. One old field name, Teazle Field,
suggests a connexion with the cloth industry. (fn. 58) Commercial fruit-growing and market-gardening have been
carried on since about 1900. (fn. 59) This was made possible
by the railway, which brought the London markets
within rapid reach. It now includes tomato growing
in large greenhouses in the Vicarage Lane area.

A windmill belonging to the manor of North Weald
was mentioned in 1281 (fn. 60) and there was a mill at
Marshalls in 1359. (fn. 61) A fair called 'Gullet Fair' is said
to have been held at one time on the former green at
Weald Gullet. (fn. 62)

In 1888 an army post, later described as a fort with
six guns, was in existence at Weald Gullet. (fn. 63) It was
no doubt one of the establishments planned by the War
Office for the defence of London (fn. 64) and it continued to
exist until the First World War. (fn. 65)

The R.A.F. Station, first established in 1917 and
reopened in 1928, (fn. 66) has become an important part of
parish life. It occupies some 400 acres between Weald
Hall Lane, Church Lane, and the Chelmsford road.
During the Battle of Britain in 1940 it was one of the
fighter bases engaged in the defence of London.

Richard Biscoe (d. 1748), a nonconformist minister
who later conformed and became chaplain to George II
and Boyle lecturer 1736-8, was Vicar of North Weald
from 1738 to 1748. (fn. 67)